Claudia Cardinale, icon of Italian and international cinema, passes away at 87

Claudia Cardinale, the luminous screen siren who defined 1960s European cinema, has died at 87.

From Tunis to the heart of Italian film, she was muse to legends like Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti, and shared the screen with every leading man of her epoch, cementing herself as one of the great icons of Italian cinema's golden age.

According to her agent, the actress died in Nemours, near Paris. Laurent Salvy told AFP:

“She leaves us the legacy of a free and inspired woman both as a woman and as an artiste.”

Acting wasn't a part of Claudia Cardinale's plans as she originally wanted to be a teacher. However, her life changed when she won a beauty competition in 1957 when she was 16, and was hailed as "The most beautiful Italian woman in Tunis."

As a prize for winning the contest, she took a trip to the Venice Film Festival, where she caught everyone's eye, and mostly filmmakers and producers. She recalled:

"All the directors and producers wanted me to make films, and I said, 'No, I don't want to!'"

Her father, Francesco Cardinale, a railway worker, convinced her to "give this cinema thing a go," derailing her dreams to become a schoolteacher. She signed with film contracts soon enough and met her mentor, movie producer Franco Cristaldi, whom she would work for years and later get romantically involved with.

Claudia Cardinale: A glimpse into the screen queen's life and career

Claudia Cardinale debuted as a minor character in Goha (1958), which starred Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. She would then star in numerous films, such as Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Girl with a Suitcase (1961), Cartouche (1962), The Leopard (1963), and Fellini's 8½ (1963).

Cardinale also shared the screen with the likes of Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, and Totò. But her breakthrough arrived when she starred as Carmelita in the internationally successful criminal comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street (I soliti ignoti) in 1958. Her character as a Sicilian girl catapulted her fame, which also led to newspapers giving her the nickname, "la fidanzata d'Italia" (Italy's sweetheart).

The following year, Claudia Cardinale landed a leading role in the romantic comedy movie, Three Strangers in Rome, where she co-starred alongside Yvonne Monlaur, and Françoise Danell.

In 1963, the screen icon headlined The Leopard, alongside Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon, which was helmed by Visconti. Cardinale portrayed the role of a village girl who married a young aristocrat. She also starred in the avant-garde drama film 8½, directed by Federico Fellini, about a filmmaker suffering from a "director's block."

Hailed by critics, both films are often recognized by scholars as some of the greatest works in cinema history.

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Claudia Cardinale and Franco Cristaldi began their relationship in 1973 and separated in 1975.

She had two children: Patrick, born at 19 and later adopted by Cristaldi, and Claudia, whom she shared with longtime partner Pasquale Squitieri.

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